Am I my brother's keeper?
by SharanMcQuack
Summary: Something in Montedumas is turning "people" into monsters and Dr. Strangeduck is accused! Mr. McD and Launchpad are investigating!


**"Am I My Brother's Keeper?"**

By Sharan McQuack, Launchpad's wife.

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I got this idea from an episode of "The Mighty Heroes" on youtube. /watch?v8-7iCfHSo0

I hate to tell you this but Coocoo Man used to be my favorite. No jokes.

Just pointing out that it WASN'T Strongman or Diaperman (who was the brains of the outfit)

That's what happens when you let kids make their own decisions instead of trying to "force" them to like one character more than another.

In case "Mighty Heroes" is NOT on cable, I couldn't resist sharing it with you poor deprived children too young to remember it.

Don't you LOVE the signal for the Mighty Heroes? Not much on subtlety, were they?

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One fine day, Mr. McDuck got Launchpad to fly him to Montedumas. Mr. McDuck's old friend, Count Roy, the ruler of Montedumas had asked Mr. McDuck to come.

"Some of my subjects have been disappearing from my country! And now monsters are attaching my country- and kidnapping more and more people!" Count Roy told Mr. McDuck and Launchpad.

"I am sorry to hear that, old friend. How can I help?" Mr. McDuck asked.

"Correction Mr. McD: you mean "How can WE help?" Launchpad put in.

"Launchpad, I can handle this myself..." Mr. McDuck began.

"Your friend was of great assistance in getting rid of my evil brother, Ray. It seems to me you should welcome his help!" Count Roy said.

"He's messed up often in the past!' Mr. McDuck said.

"Hey!" Launchpad said.

"But he has been there for you, true? Done his best, tried his hardest? Perhaps even saved your life?" Count Roy asked.

"Welll...True." admitted Mr. McDuck, reluctantly.

"Forgive me friend, but I have lost a brother due to anger and resentment and jealousy. Do you wish to risk losing a brother-in-arms for similar reasons?" Count Roy asked.

"I am afraid a friend of yours may very well be responsible for this situation. Dr. Strangeduck (1) was vacationing in my country." Count Roy began.

"He asked for permission to stay and use some rare minerals that only exist in this area for an invention he was trying to create. Knowing him to be a friend of yours, I gave him my permission." Count Roy said.

"However, his invention turned insects that flew too close to it into tiny monsters, luckily no stronger or tougher than the original insects. Then Dr. Strangeduck disappeared and these human-sized monsters started appearing. I'm afraid your old friend has turned evil- is kidnapping "people" and turning them into monsters!" Count Roy finished.

"Quak! I can not believe he would do such a thing!" Mr. McDuck said.

"Especially since you got no proof. Somebody could of kidnapped Dr. Strangeduck and could be putting his invention to evil use...using the monsters it makes out of people to kidnap more people and make more monsters!" Launchpad pointed out.

"True. But Dr. Strangeduck IS the most likely suspect. He DID invent the thing. He disappeared just before other people started disappearing and the monsters started kidnapping people." Count Roy pointed out.

"Do you know where Dr. Strangeduck was last seen? We could start a search beginning from there." Mr. McDuck said.

"That is why I asked you here. My men have combed the area and found nothing. I was hoping you might have better luck." Count Roy

Soon, Mr. McDuck and Launchpad were searching for Dr. Strangeduck, starting from where he was last seen. Instead of searching for Dr. Strangeduck himself, they searched for someplace he might hide- or be hidden. A cave, an old mine, an isolated cabin...

Soon they encountered a female duck on the same errand. "What are you doing here in the middle of no place? You look familiar..." Mr. McDuck asked.

"I am Dr. Strangeduck's sister, Featherica von Strangeduck. You may call me Featherkia." she said, batting her eyelashes at Mr. McDuck. Somehow, women tend to do that to the world's richest duck, especially when he's a bachelor. Mr. McDuck is used to that sort of thing and is mildly annoyed by it.

"I am searching for my brother, trying to clear his name...and to rescue him if he has been captured as I suspect." she explained.

"We're looking for him, too! Mr. McDee doesn't believe your brother could be responsible for any of this. We want to help him if he's in trouble- and stop these monster attacks. Why not join us?" Launchpad asked her.

"My brother sent me detailed maps of this area after he came here. I can not make sense of them, but I brought them with me anyway." she said.

"These maps are nonsense! They don't match the terrain at all!" Mr. McDuck noticed.

"Wait a minute; Mr. McDee- let me see them! Hey, look here- alone the maps are nonsense, like you said. But look what happens when I put them on top of each other!" Launchpad said, doing so and holding them up so the sun shown thru them.

The three maps were now one- and one that made sense, which matched the area they were searching. (2)

"But there's no "x" marking a spot- no indication of where Dr. Strangeduck might be." Launchpad said.

"That is because he has been kidnapped and is being held against his will!" Featherkia said.

"We were kind of hoping the map might show us WHERE he's being held." Launchpad explained.

'Wait- look here, Launchpad- this mountain here is on all 3 maps- nothing else appears on all 3 maps, just that mountain." Mr. McDuck noticed.

"But not the whole mountain. The left side of it is only on one map. Same with the right side. Only the middle part of the mountain is on all 3 maps- that's got to mean something, be some sort of a clue." Launchpad said.

"That must be where Dr. Strangeduck has been taken- and the fact that the map has been split in 3 must also be a clue." Mr. McDuck said.

"A mine of some sort? You know a lot more about mines and mining than I do.' Launchpad asked.

"Such as the fact that caves often connect. These maps may indicate that there is a cave entrance on the left side of the mountain, another on the right- and that they meet in the middle- and THAT'S where Dr. Strangeduck is being held." Mr. McDuck said.

"But where are the cave entrances? And which one should we use?" Launchpad asked.

"These symbols indicate limestone rocks- and caves often occur in limestone. You can clearly see the rocks on the left side of the mountain, but the right side is covered by trees. I'd say we should try the right side...the cave is probably hidden and hard to find. We'd have a better chance of sneaking up on whoever is behide all this if we use an entrance he may not know about- and take him by surprise!" Mr. McDuck said.

"You know, the maps overlap- see how this part is on the top map and the middle, but not the bottom map? And this part is on the lower map and the middle but not the top? The right side of the mountain is the top map- so you must be correct about an entrance being there. What if the overlap shows where the entrance is? If the part of the mountain that on the top and the middle shows one entrance..." Launchpad began.

"And the part on the bottom and the middle shows another! The overlap on the middle and bottom maps is much larger...which suggests a larger main entrance. Which we want to AVOID. You are better at maps than I am." Mr. McDuck admitted.

"Part of my job. YOU can make sense of the Wall St Journal, which might as well be written in Lithuanian as far as I'm concerned. That's YOUR job." Launchpad replied.

So the three ducks went to the right side of the mountain, and by consulting the map and a LOT of searching, they found a small cave entrance.

"Hi- Ho, Hi -Ho, it's off to work I go..." sang Launchpad while thinking: "_Narrow passageways with low ceilings. I hate narrow passageways with low ceilings. They make me apprehensive."_

Mr. McDuck and Launchpad went along the narrow passage. Then they saw light ahead: electric light. A hole in the cave wall, almost a "window" showed a much larger, well- lit chamber.

A blond haired duck with a French accent was teasing a captive in a cage.

"It's Count Ray, Count Roy's wicked twin brother! And that's Dr. Strangeduck he's got locked up!" Mr. McDuck whispered, recognizing them

"Why are you doing this? Why have you captured me, locked me up?" Dr. Strangeduck asked Evil Brother Ray.

"Why NOT? Your invention is the perfect means to get even with my brother! "Count Ray asked.

"You lied to me! You got me to take you into the laboratory I built inside this cave! You told me you wanted to earn your brother's forgiveness! You showed me proof that my invention could be used to cure birth defects! That instead of making monsters, it could mutant defects into normal flesh! Was that a lie, too...so you could lock me up and use my invention to make monsters?" Dr. Strangeduck asked.

"Yes and no. It could alter to cure defects instead of causing them. By why should I want to do THAT? My brother tricked me! He saw to it fell into the river on purpose! He thought I would drown and he could become Ruler! I am the oldest, not he! I should be Count!" Ray said.

"Then why did you not come back and claim the throne, instead of sneaking up on him, locking him up and pretending to be him?" Dr. Strangeduck asked.

"He was the Count! He made the rules! He would see to it he would rule, no matter what I said! So I did what was necessary! Then that interfering McDuck freed him and he banished me! NOW, thanks to your invention, I have the means to my revenge! I will change his subjects into monsters until I have enough for an army! I will be Count, not him!" Ray said.

"Your brother did not intend for you to fall into the river. You only think so because YOU would do that. But your brother Roy is a good man. I do not know if you are the oldest or not, but I do know he is fit to rule and you are not." Dr. Strangeduck said.

"Well, soon I'LL rule and he won't!" Ray replied.

Meanwhile, our heroes, who had been eavesdropping on all this, snuck further back to where they could converse unheard.

"See? I told you that my brother was innocent! He has been captured...tricked by this madman who is using my brother's invention for revenge!" Featherkia said.

"If I make a distraction, do you think you two can sneak up and free your brother? I'm no good at being sneaky." Launchpad asked.

"You're not much good at anything, but I suppose you can make noise! We'll get Dr. Strangeduck out of there, if you can keep Count Ray busy." Mr. McDuck said.

So Launchpad started growling and snarling like a bear. He found where the echoes were the best and where he could not be seen. He snarled and growled and made a lot of noise, until Count Ray grew quite alarmed.

"There are bears in the woods lately...and this IS a cave...Bah! I have a gun! I will shoot the beast and have a new rug to put my feet on!" Count Ray thought and he grabbed his gun and went to hunt the "bear".

Count Ray tried to follow the noise the "bear" was making, but the echoes in the cave kept tricking him, leading him in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mc Duck and Featherkia tip-toed (which isn't easy when you're a duck) to the cage that Dr. Strangeduck was imprisoned in and set him free.

"Are you all right, my brother?" Featherkia asked him.

"Yes, thank you. But we can not leave yet. I must regain my invention- to keep Count Ray from using it to turn more people into monsters! I should be able to use it to restore to normal the "people" he has already transformed!" Dr. Strangeduck replied.

"Do you know where Count Ray put your invention, Hugo?" Featherkia asked her brother.

"No, he could of put it anywhere!" Dr. Strangeduck replied

"Isn't it that thing over there?" Mr. McDuck inquired, pointing to a giant "ray gun" at the mouth of the cave.

"Oh! Good lord, he's changed it! It was originally supposed to be an improved "bug zapper"...one that "zaps" only objectable insects. Ordinary "bug zappers" kill whatever insects fly too close too it...including useful insects like ladybugs and dragonflies and bees. This was meant to kill only mosquitoes and flies and other objectable flying insects.

Meanwhile, Ray was trying to find the "bear"...Launchpad kept making growling noises while trying to stay out of sight. Luckily, the passages were dark, there were a LOT of them and the echoes confused Count Ray. He was also not 100 percent sure he WANTED to meet a bear.

Then he came upon a "leak" in the cave ceiling. Water was dripping down into a pool, then draining out thru a hole in the floor, making a growl-like noise. Count Ray leaped to the conclusion that THIS was the source of the noises he had heard and doubled back to the hideout. He ignored any growling noises Launchpad made, thinking he now knew what caused them.

Poor Launchpad was caught between wanted to warn Mr. McD and Featherkia that Count Ray was coming back their way and NOT wanting to let Count Ray hear him do so, lest he give them away. So he shoved a thin stalagmite that was this close to toppling over all by itself over. It crashed to the cave floor and made a LOT of noise.

"What was THAT?" Featherkia asked. "It sounded like something crashing!"

"Then it must be Launchpad! That idiot will alert Count Ray to the fact we're here! We better hurry!" Mr. McDuck said.

Too late! Count Ray came upon them.

"What is this? YOU AGAIN?" Asked Count Ray seeing Mr. McDuck.

But Dr. Strangeduck, being given the "head's up" by Launchpad's warning, did the only thing he had time to do: aim the monster ray at Count Ray and turn HIM into a monster.

This transformation rendered Ray almost mindless, he would obey anybody who gave him orders. (2)

This gave Dr. Strangeduck plenty of time to figure out how to reverse the ray's effects. I doubt he simply "reversed the polarity" (whatever THAT means)...but he DID find a way to turn the victims of the ray back to normal. After he had done so, even to Count Ray himself, Count Ray found himself in front of his brother.

"So, evil brother, you did not learn your lesson. How many times will you repeat the same mistake?" Count Roy asked. "What am I to do with you? I cannot kill you, you ARE my brother! Must I lock you up, as you did me?" Count Roy asked.

"Bah! I defy you! I AM the oldest! I should be Count! You are too weak to rule!" Count Ray replied.

"Listen and obey...in the mountains, there is a mining camp. You will be taken there and put to work. You will work in those mines for the rest of your life!" Count Roy commanded.

And the guards took Count Ray to the mining camp.

Count Roy thanked Mr. McDuck and Launchpad and Featherkia and apologized the Dr. Strangeduck for thinking him the guilty party.

**The End.**

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(1) See "Hotel Strangeduck" for Dr. Strangeduck and "The Duck in the Iron Mask" for Count Roy and his wicked twin brother, Ray.

(2) Idea stolen shamelessly from "Treasure of the Unicorn" by Herge.

(3) Which is why most of the other monsterized "people" had been easily captured by Count Roy's guards and locked up till they could be changed back.


End file.
